Now that winter is finally here after six seasons of build-up, it seems strange that Game of Thrones will finish off with less episodes than normal for its final two seasons (sorry, fewer episodes — RIP Stannis). But Iain Glen, who plays the long-suffering Jorah Mormont, promises that the reduced run time will actually make the story more epic.
“They are taking the length of time it takes to shoot 10 episodes to shoot just seven this year and six next year,” he said in a recent interview. “There are 15 more hours left in Thrones as we understand it… but the scale and size of the set pieces, the world that is being created, it’s just getting more and more extraordinary.”
It’s true that in between its epic moments, Season 6 had some regrettable filler like Tyrion’s aimless comedy hour, which made it clear the episodes were running the clock. If a seven-episode Season 7 means that only the most essential scenes will make the cut, all the better.
However, there is reason to doubt Glen’s words, as recall that Jorah’s mind is addled with Greyscale and he faces an uncertain future searching for its cure. It’s possible Jorah is already dead, Glen knows nothing, and he’s lying to the world just as readily as Kit Harington did for an entire year.
Then again, leaks from the Season 7 set seem like Greyscale and Jorah will have an intriguing future that is tied to Jon Snow’s plot. We’ll have to see when Season 7 comes around whether Jorah is added to the ranks of those who know nothing.
Seasons 7 and 8 are currently slotted for seven and six episodes, respectively.
